Amherst College museum exhibits new dinosaur bones

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) -- An Amherst College alumnus and his wife have donated a dinosaur skeleton to the western Massachusetts school.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/11slO6c) that John Middleton, a 1977 Amherst College graduate, and wife Leigh purchased the well-preserved Dryosaurus altus skeleton at auction for an undisclosed amount. It's now on display at the Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College.

The public is able to view the 3 1/2-foot tall and 10-foot long skeleton beginning this weekend. It's the first new addition in decades to Beneski's collection of dinosaurs.

Museum director and geology professor Tekla Harms describes the Dryosaurus as a small and fleet herbivore.

He said scientists may now come to the museum to study the Dryosaurus' bones and skull.

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